Who is James Crummel, was Paris Hilton's school a hunting ground for him? A look at charges against the killer
Are schools that swank on helping troubled teens with behavioral issues not safe? In an unforeseen turn of events, it is alleged that socialite Paris Hilton's school CEDU in Running Springs, California, might have been a hunting ground for a child rapist and killer James Crummel who was purportedly behind the disappearance of school kids as reported by OC Register.
Before Crummel hung himself in prison in 2012, the California Department of Justice investigators was looking into whether he was responsible for the disappearances of at least two boys from the school, according to the Alpenhorn News in Running Springs as reported by Page Six. Though it is still not clear if Crummel was behind the disappearances of school kids, some former students of CEDU told The Post that it is quite a possibility. “That’s also what we heard,” Adam Eget, coordinator for the Comedy Store in LA and a former student at CEDU told. “They think a few kids there were murdered by Crummel.”
Behavioral facilities for troubled teens have under the scanner as investigations lead to some major developments. Besides, Hilton’s documentary 'This is Paris' throws light on “therapeutic” boarding schools and the abuse some students — like her — say they suffered in them. The documentary will premiere on Monday, September 14, on Hilton’s YouTube channel. After Utah, it seems California-based CEDU that Hilton attended in the summer of 1997 at age of 16 has drawn attention for offenses like the disappearance of kids. A California Department of Justice investigator was reportedly looking into the case of disappearance in 2009. However, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) did not mention the status of the case as reported by Page Six. Till the mystery unravels, here is a closer look at who James Crummel was.
Who was James Crummel
Crummel lived with a Newport Beach, California, psychiatrist Burnell Forgey who was contracted to the CEDU school in Running Springs as reported by Page Six. The site further reported that at least two kids disappeared from the school during the time Crummel was visiting Forgey. The school was shut down in 2005 amidst financial issues. However, several reports suggest that CEDU was run by America’s most notorious cults that lead to its downfall. OC Register reported that Crummel made headlines in the late ’90s when his neighbors in New Port Beach, found that he was a child molester. However, there has been a long list of crimes against him starting from 1979. As per Reuters, Crummel faced execution for the kidnapping, sexual abuse and murder of 13-year-old James Wilfred Trotter, who disappeared in April 1979 after leaving the Costa Mesa, California, hotel room he shared with his mother.
As per Reuters, in 1990, Crummel led authorities to the Trotter’s charred skeletal remains in a remote area of Orange County, claiming to have discovered them while hiking. He was trying to con the police but was eventually linked to the crime through circumstantial evidence. Crummel had also been questioned about the 1981 murder of an Anaheim Hills boy and the 1995 disappearance of a Big Bear City boy as per OC Register. San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Bill Mitchell, who prosecuted Crummel, said Crummel had served previous prison terms for child molestation and attempted murder and was also a suspect in the disappearance of two California boys.
“The guy has preyed on children and other weak individuals his whole life and finally realized he wasn’t going to get a steady supply of them any longer,” Mitchell was quoted by Reuters. “He probably got tired of being by himself with his ugly memories. I can’t say I’m surprised, I’m just glad that he’s no longer with us,” he further said after the criminal committed suicide in 2012 by hanging himself in his cell at San Quentin State Prison.